Q525. Please explain how many leak detection surveys must be conducted in a calendar year?  Must a facility indicate in advance how many surveys will be conducted in the year?

A525. For sources subject to the leak survey requirements in 40 CFR 98.233(q), the facility must conduct at least one leak detection survey per calendar year and is not required to report, in advance, the number of surveys to be conducted in a future year. However, all facilities must report the number of complete equipment leak surveys conducted during the calendar year for which emissions are being reported, except for natural gas distribution facilities conducting leak surveys across multiple years. For natural gas distribution, a facility, which is the collection of all distribution pipelines, metering stations, and regulating stations that are operated by a LDChas the option of either conducting an annual survey of all of its above grade transmission-distribution transfer stations each year or completing an entire survey of all of its above grade transmission-distribution transfer stations over multiple years, not to exceed a 5-year period. If a facility elects to conduct its leak surveys over a multi-year period, the facility must still conduct annual leak surveys. The number of stations monitored each year of a multi-year leak survey cycle must be approximately equal (e.g., if a 5-year survey cycle is used, approximately 20% of the facility’s above grade transmission-distribution transfer stations must be monitored each year of the 5-year survey cycle).  LDC facilities are required to indicate in their annual GHG report whether the facility is using a multi-year survey option, and if they are using a multi-year option they must report the number of years in the leak survey cycle.